Kingdom Hearts can be quite confusing for newcomers. From the many spin-offs that have strange names to how many incarnations of the same characters there are, casual fans have felt overwhelmed and only played the three main titles. But seeing as how fourteen years passed in between Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3, there are a lot of things these gamers have missed.
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In that time, there were games that took place in between the main installments, as well as ones that served as prequels to the original game. Here are ten things players should know about in between Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3, such as how Organization XIII returned after being defeated and the training that the heroes had gone through to get stronger.
10 A New Message Appeared In Jiminy's Journal
In Coded, Jiminy Cricket found a mysterious message in his journal that he didn't write. It read "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it." Upon discovering this, Jiminy told King Mickey about it. When they tried to find the meaning of the message, they made the Datascape, a digital version of the worlds Jiminy wrote about based on his previous adventures with Sora. However, it quickly got corrupted and they had to rely on Data Sora to help them save the Datascape. At the end of this new journey, they learned that Namine was the one who left the message inside of the journal. She wanted Jiminy, Mickey, the real Sora, and the rest of the heroes to know that there were people who still needed to be saved, causing Mickey to write a letter to Sora, telling him that their adventures had only just begun.
9 Maleficent And Pete Tried To Take Control Of The Datascape
During Data Sora's adventure, he met Pete and Maleficent, who had gone inside of the Datascape. They had hoped that they'd be able to take control of the worlds inside of it but left after fighting against Data Sora and his friends. However, the Datascape reminded Maleficent of the Book of Prophecies, which she had learned about when she went back in time in Union X. This is when the two started searching for the book, which they continued to do in Kingdom Hearts 3.
8 Sora And Riku Went Into The Sleeping Worlds
When Sora received the letter that Mickey wrote to him, he and Riku went to Master Yen Sid, who gave them their Mark of Mastery exam. The Mark of Mastery exam is the test to see whether a keyblade wielder has what it takes to become a keyblade master.
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Master Yen Sid had them go to the seven Sleeping Worlds, where they would have to unlock each world's keyhole. These Sleeping Worlds were Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, La Cité des Cloches, The Grid, Prankster's Paradise, The Country of the Musketeers, and The Symphony of Sorcery.
7 Sora And Riku Met The Characters From The World Ends With You
Despite Kingdom Hearts being a crossover between Disney and Square Enix properties, the only Square Enix franchise that was included in the series for a long time was Final Fantasy. In Dream Drop Distance, however, this finally changed. Neku, Shiki, Rhyme, Beat, and Joshua from The World Ends With You met Sora and Riku in Traverse Town. Ever since, it had been hinted at that Sora would eventually go to Shibuya, which happened at the very end of Kingdom Hearts 3. Square Enix will hopefully add more of their franchises to this epic crossover.
6 Organization XIII Traveled Through Time
Throughout their Mark of Mastery exam, Sora and Riku encountered enemies that they thought they defeated. Once they finished the test, they appeared in The World That Never Was and learned that the members of Organization XIII were able to travel through time. Young Xehanort, one of the members of the new organization, told Sora and Riku what their goal truly was. Master Xehanort, the original incarnation of Ansem, Xemnas, and other members in Organization XIII, wanted to create thirteen versions of himself and lied about the old members not having hearts in order to use them.
5 Master Xehanort Returned
Despite Sora and Riku not meeting the original Xehanort at this point in the series, they knew that he was their main enemy. At the end of Dream Drop Distance, he returned after over a decade since putting his heart inside of Terra's body. He tried to turn Sora into the last incarnation of himself that he'd need, but Lea saved him in the last moment. Running out of time, the members of Organization XIII began to fade, delaying the battle with the Guardians of Light until they reunited in Kingdom Hearts 3.
4 Riku Became A Dream Eater
Rather than fighting against heartless, nobodies, or unversed, the common enemies in Dream Drop Distance were dream eaters. There are two types: spirits and nightmares. While the nightmares were the ones that Sora and Riku fought, the spirits were their party members.
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In the beginning of the Mark of Mastery exam, without knowing it, Riku went inside of Sora's dream in order to protect him, becoming a dream eater. Towards the end of the game, Ansem the Seeker of Darkness told him what he became and the two had a deep conversation on how the organization member impacted Riku's life.
3 He Also Became A Keyblade Master
When Riku and Sora returned to Master Yen Sid, he announced that Riku passed the test while Sora failed. Instead of being upset that he wasn't a keyblade master, Sora was happy for his friend, while Riku was shocked at how far he had come. When the series first began, the keyblade that he was meant to use decided to be wielded by Sora and he felt ashamed for getting so close to the darkness. Now, being both a master while using darkness as a good thing, Riku is clearly one of the strongest characters in the series, just like the friend he was jealous of.
2 Kairi And Lea Began Their Training
At the end of Dream Drop Distance, Lea surprised the other characters, as well as the players, by summoning his own keyblade. Since Kairi was also a new wielder, Master Yen Sid had the two of them train beside each other so that they could get as skilled as possible for when they would need to fight Organization XIII. Since Kairi didn't like Lea when he was Axel, she was skeptical about whether or not training with him was a good idea. But by the time Kingdom Hearts 3 began, the two were friends and Lea kept apologizing to her for all of the terrible things he had done.
1 Mickey Told Riku That He Left Aqua In The Realm Of Darkness
In A Fragmentary Passage, Mickey recalled the events that happened when he was in the Realm of Darkness. Aqua had gone there ten years prior, at the end of Birth By Sleep, and saw the dark versions of Castle of Dreams, Dwarf Woodlands, Enchanted Dominion, and Destiny Islands. When she encountered Mickey, she helped him find the Kingdom Key D. She had hoped to go to the Realm of Light with him, but while Mickey and Riku closed the Door to Darkness with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Aqua was attacked by the heartless. Upon hearing all of this, Riku wasn't happy that Mickey kept her sacrifice from him all this time. Determined to save her now, the two of them embarked on their quest to find her, which continued in Kingdom Hearts 3.